The risks we take reveal what we value

​Too often, those of us who read the bible - we miss the points.

Too often, we think the bible is something to be read and proved to others and not absorbed by self.

Too often, we think of the people in the bible as biblical characters and not people doing life just like you and me. People who have stories that we can relate to.

Stories we can learn from.

This weekend, I heard a pastor tell the story of Jochebed. If you can't say her name and if you've never heard of her - welcome to my world.

But Jochebed was Moses' mom. And I think we've all heard of Moses.

Moses was born in Egypt during troubled times. The leader of Egypt was worried about the growing population of enslaved Israelites - like he was paranoid and believed these people may one day take over his country. So he ordered that all Hebrew baby boys must be killed.

I'd always known what Moses' mom did to save Moses. But learning her name, and reflecting a little more on the risks she took saving him, I guess this weekend I could relate to her a little more.

You see, after hiding Moses from the Egyptians for three months, Jochebed put Moses in a basket along the Nile River believing God would rescue him. She believed, in that basket and on that river, her baby would float to safety.

And long story short - that's what happened. Moses was rescued.

Now, Moses would go on to become a great biblical hero. A name we all know. But what about Jochebed? What if one of the main points of the story of Moses is Jochebed - the mom who took the risk that allowed the son to become the hero he became?

Risk: the possibility of incurring misfortune or loss; hazard.

Jochebed literally risked her life because she believed in her son. From the earliest minutes of his life, she saw in him the leader he ultimately became. She valued him, so she took a risk.

As I heard this pastor telling this story, I thought about my own life.

I've taken risks lately because of things I deeply value. I've second guessed myself for these risks. I've been judged by insiders and outsiders alike for them. Every day I process the reality of misfortunate and loss.

Yet, every day, it's the things I value that I hear loudest.

Nothing in the world was going to stand in the way of Jochebed hiding her baby boy - or putting him in that basket. Not because she was a reckless risk-taker, but because she valued that baby boy enough to take the risk.

My guess is she didn't think her actions were nearly as risky as others interpreted them to be.

I think too often we live our lives avoiding risks. We see the possibility of incurring misfortune or loss as a reason to avoid making our next move in life instead of considering the possibility that risk comes with going after the things we value in life.

More and more, I believe it's the risks we don't take that we should fear more than the ones we do.

My bet is, Moses would agree with me.